Cass Scenic Railroad officials are advising potential visitors planning to ride the Whittaker Station or Bald Knob excursions this fall season to plan ahead and reserve seats online.

Now operated by the Durbin & Greenbrier Valley Railroad, the Cass Scenic Railroad is one of many Mountain Rail Adventures that offers visitors and residents wanting to enjoy the mountain views by rail a new and faster way to reserve seating and dates online. This new advance reservation system serves as a great resource in guaranteed seating and prohibits overcrowding.

“As we enter the beautiful West Virginia fall season, it becomes even more important to guarantee your train seating with advanced reservations,” says DGVR Reservationist and Packaging Specialist Matt Scott. “Peak fall colors mean an influx in ridership to enjoy the views our excursions have to offer and as a result, trains sell out quickly. Visitors need to reserve ahead so they don’t miss a great trip during peak season.”

Walk-up reservations will be limited at Cass Scenic Railroad this season as fall color advances into the highlands of Pocahontas County in late September. These limitations will apply to the two Mountain Rail Adventures offered at Cass – including the 1.5-hour round trip from Cass to Whittaker Station at 11 a.m. and 2:15 p.m. each day Sept. 15-Nov. 1, and the popular Bald Knob excursion.

On the four-hour round trip excursion to Bald Knob, passengers can tour the entire track from downtown Cass to the Bald Knob mountaintop overlook, 4,842 feet in elevation. Reserving the popular Bald Knob excursion online in advance also allows for an accurate food count for on-board lunches, a new addition to the Bald Knob trip this season. The onboard “Hobo Lunch” is part of the ticket price.

Bald Knob excursions operate each Tuesday through Sunday until Sept. 15, then expand into daily service beginning Oct. 1 through Nov. 1. The Bald Knob train departs from Cass at 11:20 a.m.

In-between train rides, the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park offers tours of the logging town and of the Cass railroad shops, home to the largest fleet of steam-driven Shay locomotives in the country.

To learn more about full schedules, special events, and to make online reservations, visit www.Mtn-Rail.com and/or follow along on social media at #mountainrail